


Fatherlord Zuko

by greensearcher



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Babies, F/M, Family, Fluff, Humor, Zuki, a little Tokka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-08-27 14:49:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8405839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greensearcher/pseuds/greensearcher
Summary: Daddy Zuko to heal the soul. Zuki/Tokka/Kataang pairings and lots of little Izumi.





	1. Bedtime

**Author's Note:**

> Fits nicely after my Masks series, but can be read as stand-alone pieces.
> 
> Disclaimer: Avatar The Last Airbender and all characters and other Avatar world details are © Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko, Viacom. No money is made by writing and publishing this fanfiction.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the Fire Lord is a sucker for every toddler trick in the book to avoid bedtime.

"Five books, Daddy?" a muffled voice asked.

Zuko gave the little nightgown another tug, watching as Izumi's head popped out the top. "I don't know…five's a lot, kiddo," he told her. "How about three?"

Three year-old Izumi seemed to consider his offer for a long moment, holding her chin in one little fist as she furrowed her brows. Zuko stared at her, suddenly wondering if she'd learned that from him.

Finally, she held up a few fingers in each hand. "Seven?"

"Um…that's not how this works—"

"Eight?!" she asked excitedly.

Zuko scratched the top of his head as he stood. "You know what? Five sounds good."

Half an hour later, he set down the tenth book and gave the little conniver in his lap a squeeze. "Okay, time for sleep," he told her, moving off the small bed and tugging back the covers.

"I'm thirsty," she said suddenly, clinging to his tunic as he tried to deposit her in the sheets. "Can I have some juice?"

"Well," he started slowly, before remembering a conversation he'd had with his wife not the day before.

 _"Zuko, I know you're trying to be a loving father,"_ Suki had told him gently, even as her lips curled up at the corners. _"But I really don't think that's the problem—I'm much more concerned you're going to spoil her rotten."_

Taking a deep breath, he carefully unhooked Izumi's fists from his shirt. "Mimi, we already brushed teeth," he said, trying to be firm. "You can have some juice in the morn—"

"B-but I'm _so_ thirsty," she said, lower lip quivering as her eyes grew wet.

Zuko bit his lip, face contorting. "Oh—okay! Okay. J-just don't cry," he said anxiously, holding his hands up in surrender. "One cup of water, and then you _have_ to go to sleep."

Distress forgotten, she grinned from ear to ear as he picked her back up and headed towards the kitchens. _I can't let her go thirsty. What kind of a parent does that?_ he thought, trying to convince himself he hadn't just been played.

"Oh my, someone's up late," the cook said, smiling warmly at Izumi, who curled closer against Zuko's shoulder as they entered the half-lit kitchens.

Zuko reddened. "If—if the Fire Lady asks…she was in bed twenty minutes ago," he ordered, glancing back at the door before sitting against the long counter and setting Izumi on his knee.

"Of course, m'lord," the woman said, hiding a smirk as she turned to grab a couple cups.

"Just water," Zuko added quickly. If his kid wasn't getting a proper night's sleep, the least he could do was make sure she had good dental hygiene.

One cup of mango juice, some ice cream, and a second round of teeth-brushing later, and the Fire Lord dragged the two of them back into Izumi's room.

"All right, no more excuses. It's bedtime," he said tiredly, tucking her back into the soft sheets.

"Sing me a song, Daddy?" she asked sweetly as he leaned down to give her a kiss goodnight.

"Mmm," Zuko hummed, scrunching his brows as he pulled back and sat on the edge of the mattress. "Daddy doesn't really sing—"

"Please?" she pouted, clinging to his sleeve. "Mommy _always_ sings to me."

Zuko sighed. "Okay, _one_ song. But you have to close your eyes and try to sleep."

Izumi smiled happily, squeezing her eyes shut as she pulled the covers up to her chin. Zuko glanced sheepishly towards the door, but didn't hear anyone nearby. Clearing his throat roughly, he started into a rather awful rendition of _Soldier Boy._ He'd barely made it one line in, however, when Izumi's eyes popped open.

"Grandpa sings me that song!"

Zuko smiled. "Grandpa Iroh taught Daddy that one," he explained. Izumi looked amazed. "Now, close your eyes, okay?" he said nervously, realizing just how late it was getting as the room grew dark with the setting summer sun. Izumi nodded quickly as she obeyed.

After fudging his way through a couple verses, Zuko trailed off. The moment he did, his daughter's eyes flew open once again. "Another song?"

"Sorry…Daddy only knows one," he admitted, squeezing her hand before starting to stand.

She held his fingers tightly, not letting him leave. "Sing it again?"

Zuko cringed, not sure he could endure his own voice another time through. "Mmm, how about…" Suddenly, sparks went off in his mind. "Hang on—I have a surprise," he whispered, standing quickly and moving towards the door. "Be right back," he promised, turning back to her briefly. "Just—just stay there for _one_ minute, okay?"

Not waiting for her reply, Zuko sprinted out the door and down the hall, knowing he probably had less than thirty seconds before Izumi started to cry for him to come back. A couple doors down, and he found himself at his old bedroom. He threw the door open, bounding inside and tearing open the closet to reveal several neat stacks of boxes. He held out a flame as he tore the lid off the first and dug through its contents.

"Lord Zuko?"

Zuko turned back, one of the servants framing the open doorway, staring wide-eyed at the mess he'd made at his feet. "Is…is everything all right, my lord?"

"Ah—yes, no problem," Zuko said in haste, his prize in hand as he stepped around the piles and past the servant. He paused momentarily. "I'll, uh, clean that up later," he explained awkwardly, racing back towards Izumi's room just as she started to call out for him.

She had just reached the door when he made it back. Her worry turned to curiosity as she stared at the object in his hands. "What's that?" she asked, cocking her head at him.

"Only little girls who stay in bed can find out," he teased, watching as she sprinted across the room and dove under the covers.

Chuckling, Zuko moved over slowly and sat beside her. "This is a tsungi horn," he explained. "Sounds much nicer than Daddy's voice. Want to hear it?"

She nodded eagerly, eyes wide and alight.

"But," he said, holding up a finger. "You have to _promise_ to go to sleep right after, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed excitedly, squirming around for a minute as she nestled into the sheets.

As soon as she had, Zuko licked his lips and sucked in a deep breath as he tried to recall the notes he'd been forced to learn as a young prince years ago. They came roughly at first, but soon the small room was filled with the deep, rich melodies that slowly returned to his mind. In truth, he'd always hated the instrument as child, being forced to endure the old instructor as she nitpicked his every technique. Like he didn't get enough of that from his firebending teacher, or his father—

Zuko frowned, letting the last note hang in the air as he lowered the instrument into his lap, an old ache filling his chest. He let his shoulders sag, listening absently to the evening wind against the shutters and the distant rumble of the city as he tried to push the painful, persistent memories away.

He looked over at his daughter, her chest rising and falling quietly as she slept. Her cheek was pressed against the pillow, lips puckered out and forming a little 'o.' Suddenly, his heart felt a little lighter.

"Love you, sweet girl," he whispered, reaching over to pull a few locks of hair out of her eyes before planting a kiss on her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open, pupils glazed over with sleep. "Daddy…don't leave," she breathed tiredly. "I'll be lonely."

Letting the smile return to his face, he gave in and slipped under the blanket beside her. She gathered up two little fistfuls of his tunic in her hands as he pulled her close.

 _Don't worry,_ he thought. _I'll never leave you alone._

* * *

When Suki went in to check on them, she had to bite her lip to stop a laugh. A dozen books were scattered on the floor; a brass horn turned over on its end and a pair of black house slippers, apparently kicked off by their wearer, were resting near the footboard. Two large, pale feet stuck off the end of the mattress, Zuko's heavy breathing filling the empty space from where he was squeezed onto the small bed. Izumi was curled up beside him, nestled against his chest as they both slept soundly.

Suki knew she better get him up soon if she didn't want him waking with a backache the next morning. But she let herself watch them for a long moment, leaning against the doorframe and trying to plant a permanent image of the scene in her mind that she would never forget.

_[end]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marking this as complete, simply because each ficlet stands alone. More to come :)


	2. Projectile Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even the best dads make rookie mistakes. Some messier than others.

"All clean! On to Daddy," Suki said, kissing little Iroh on the head as she handed off the soaking-wet baby. Zuko caught him in a big towel, looking back as his wife started squeezing more soap into the other twin's hair. Izumi was also in the tub, happily preoccupied with a little toy turtle duck.

Zuko chuckled. "Maybe Toph was right. We are crazy."

Suki glanced back at him in amusement, the front of her tunic nearly completely soaked through, sleeves yanked up past her elbows. "Crazy can be a good thing, right?"

"Yeah," he agreed warmly, sending a little heat into the bundle in his arms as he hauled the kid back to the boys' nursery. Setting him down on the changing table, he dried Iroh off quickly before pulling the towel out from under him and tossing it into the hamper across the room. Reaching into the drawer below the table, he felt for a cloth diaper.

Unfortunately, it was empty. Even more unfortunate, it was at that moment the cold hit little Iroh and set off his bladder.

Zuko watched in mild horror as a yellow stream arched up into the air, curving at the top of its course before forming a puddle on the hard floor. In an ill-timed gut reaction, Zuko threw a hand out to stop it, sending the stream spraying out in all directions.

"O-oh, spirits—spirits, help—" he stammered, pulling a wet hand back and glancing anxiously at the door. "Suki! _HELP!"_

"Just a minute!" she called out to him. Cursing loudly, Zuko looked around for anything to stop the torrent before him. To his dismay, the towel was, of course, across the room where he'd thrown it, and the dresser full of clothes stood several paces away. And he knew he couldn't leave Iroh on the table alone or he might roll off the edge.

So, naturally, Zuko decided to pick him up.

"How— _how do you have that much in you?!"_ he cried, the seemingly endless stream leaving a trail across his tunic and in his wake as Zuko moved awkwardly across the room, holding Iroh out at arm's length. Just before he reached the dresser, the baby gave out a happy sigh as it finally ended, a trickle trailing down one chubby leg.

Not a moment later, Suki stepped hastily into the room, Izumi half-wrapped in a towel at her side and another sopping, stark-naked baby in her arms. "Is everything okay? What—" She stopped, taking in the scene before her, eyes growing wide as she looked back at him. "What happened?"

"I, um," Zuko muttered, bowing his head. "…I panicked."

When Suki didn't respond, Zuko looked up to see her trembling in place, lips pursed tightly in an effort to hold back her laughter. Beside her, Izumi started to giggle despite not knowing what was going on.

"Ah, don't laugh!" he pouted at them.

"S-sorry," Suki said, a few chuckles escaping her throat as she tried to calm down.

"What do I do now?!" Zuko went on desperately, still holding Iroh out at arm's length. "It's …it's _everywhere,"_ he realized, looking behind him. "I mean spirits, this never happened with Mimi. It just—it went _so far."_

"Well, girls are different," Suki shrugged, pulling a towel from the cupboard and starting to dry off Lu Ten in her arms. "Boys get a little more distance because they have peni—"

_"I KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE,"_ Zuko said quickly, cheeks burning as he remained frozen in place, still unsure what to do.

"Well, for now, you should _both_ head back to the bath. I'll send for Nanny to help out here," Suki said, smirking as she looked back over the room. "…And maybe a maid."

* * *

"You know, it's a good thing you're so cute."

Baby Iroh smiled widely, before slapping his hands on the top of the water, throwing soapy water into Zuko's eyes. He lifted the kid up quickly, balancing him on his knees in the tub.

"…A _really_ good thing you're cute," he said tiredly, sighing in chagrin as he rinsed the rest of the suds off the two of them. Drying them both off, he _very_ quickly fastened a diaper on Iroh and threw a robe on himself before heading back towards the nursery. He paused at the doorway when he heard voices inside, not sure he could muster up enough courage to face Nanny Sen just yet.

"Princess Izumi is sleeping soundly," someone was saying from behind the door. Zuko leaned close, holding Iroh against his shoulder as the child started to doze off.

"Thank you so much, Sen," Suki's voice echoed from the quiet room. "Sorry to send for you so late."

"Don't fret, my lady. That's why I'm here," the older woman replied. "In fact, it gave me quite a laugh when you told me what happened." Zuko felt his cheeks grow warm as the two women's quiet chuckles spilled into the hall. He huffed, blowing a few wet strands of hair out of his eyes.

"And if I may be so bold…" he heard Sen go on. "It's also quite endearing."

"Oh?" Suki asked curiously. Zuko leaned a little closer to the door.

"I started working here when I was quite young," Sen went on. "In fact, I often helped Lady Ursa as she cared for our lord and his sister."

"Really?" Suki replied in quiet amazement.

"Oh yes," the caretaker when on. "And in all those years I served…never once did I see Ozai help her with those children," she said quietly. "Never once."

They were silent for a long moment, and Zuko leaned back against the wall, a strange warmth flooding his chest he hadn't been expecting to feel that night. He hugged his son a little tighter.

"Thank you, Sen," Suki whispered, the door opening as the woman bowed and bid her goodnight. Zuko waited in the shadows as she left before heading into the room.

Suki was standing beside one of the cribs, gazing down at the sleeping child inside. Moving beside her, Zuko tucked her hair behind one ear with his free hand before kissing her on the cheek.

"Sorry about the mess," he whispered, moving away to put Iroh in the opposite bed. He stopped, however, when she caught his hand and pulled him back, reaching up and kissing him deeply. He sighed against her lips, fingers weaving into her hair in the hushed darkness.

"Nanny Sen said something," she started, pulling back a little and placing a hand on Iroh's back.

"…I heard."

Suki nodded quietly, before wrapping her arms around him. "I love you," she breathed.

Zuko smiled a bit, the embarrassment from earlier suddenly worth it. "Love you too." He paused before going on. "And you know…I think I learned something tonight."

"Hmm?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Never abandon the towel until the diaper's _on."_

_[end]_


	3. Bad Grandpa

"All right buddy, ready to try this again?"

Ten month-old Lu Ten gripped Zuko's fingers tightly in both hands, his toes digging nervously in the sand as he lifted his chin to look up at him, lower lip puckered out in defiance.

"You got this—just look at Iroh," Zuko prodded, pointing to the boy's twin, splashing happily in Suki's arms as she held him waist-high in the warm ocean water. Just then, Aang and Katara flew past, little Kya strapped to her father's back and squealing in delight as they surfed.

Seeming to gain some courage, Lu Ten squeezed Zuko's fingers, as if giving the signal to go. They slowly moved towards where the sand was freshly wet, watching the most recent wave slide slowly back into the ocean. Lu Ten eyed it warily, backing up against his father's legs as a new surge of water started towards them. They were so far back that by the time it reached their toes, it barely covered the child's feet.

Didn't stop him from screaming in terror, though.

Trying not to laugh, Zuko tugged the boy up quickly by his arms and held him against his chest. "You're okay, I won't let it get you," he smirked, rubbing Lu Ten's back and looking out at Suki, who'd been watching them on the most recent attempt. He shrugged in defeat, and she grinned apologetically at him. _Maybe next year,_ they seemed to agree.

Zuko hauled Lu Ten back up the beach, setting him down beside his daughter and Bumi, both playing happily in the sand.

"No luck?" Sokka asked, lounging in an armchair as he took a sip from some fruity beverage, his free hand tangled lazily with Toph's.

"No luck," Zuko sighed, plopping himself down beside him.

"It's okay kid," Toph mumbled from beneath the large sunhat covering her face. "I don't like the water either."

Zuko relaxed into his chair, smiling as he watched Lu Ten scoop up a handful of sand in one chubby fist. The boy stared at it for a long moment before sticking it straight in his mouth.

"Spirits—" Zuko swore, jumping out of his seat and digging a clump of sand out of the baby's mouth. "No eating the sand, buddy."

"Aw, a little earth never hurt anyone," Toph said nonchalantly.

Zuko looked back at her and frowned, wiping a saliva-soaked finger on the back of his pants. "For you of all people to say that—"

"Tell him, Daddy!" Izumi interrupted.

Zuko blinked, looking back over at his daughter. "Sorry…what, kiddo?"

"M-Mimi says sh-she has _four_ g-grandpas," Bumi stuttered, speaking so quickly he could barely get the words out.

"I do!" she insisted. "Right, Daddy?"

"Uh…" Zuko gulped. "Well, yes, but let's not—"

"Wow, I only got Papa 'koda," Bumi said in amazement, eyes growing wide as he looked back at his friend. He was clearly impressed.

Izumi nodded excitedly. "Grandpa Iroh, Grandpa Noren," she started, counting off on little fingers. "Grandpa Gopan, and… _Bad Grandpa."_

Sokka snorted on his drink. " _Bad_ Grandpa? Don't tell me…"

Zuko let his face fall into his hands, cheeks burning against his palms. "She wasn't even supposed to find out about him yet, but—"

"Your daddy put Bad Grandpa in time out," Izumi went on knowingly to her companion. "That's what _my_ daddy told me."

By now, Sokka was roaring with laughter as Toph snickered beside him. _"Time out?!"_

 _"Shhh!"_ Zuko said, waving a hand across his throat to try and shut them up. "Can I just—can my little girl stay innocent for just a couple more years, _please?"_ he whispered harshly.

"Hang on," Sokka said, suddenly nervous as he leaned close. "She hasn't… _met_ Ozai, has she?"

"Agni, of course not! _"_ Zuko cried. "We moved him to the Boiling Rock years ago. My kids aren't allowed within a fifty mile radius of that bast—" He stopped, catching himself as the two children looked back at them. He cleared his throat.

Sokka was suddenly grinning again. "You know what? I say we let your kid write the history books. It'll be perfect," he exclaimed, standing and rubbing an invisible beard as he adopted his _Wang Fire_ persona. _"Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony—"_

Zuko groaned. "Spirits, please stop."

 _"Then, everything changed when—"_ Sokka paused in his pacing, lifting one foot atop a mound of sand as he thrust a fist forward. _"BAD GRANDPA ATTACKED!"_

Toph snorted in amusement as the children laughed at Sokka's display. Zuko only scowled.

"That's it," he huffed. "You two aren't invited next year."

_[end]_


	4. Too Quiet

Zuko tugged at the royal headpiece, sliding it out and letting his hair fall to his shoulders as he tucked the small ornament in one pocket. He sighed tiredly, pausing outside the door to the family quarters. Rain beat on the roof, and he could hear a quiet crackle from behind the wooden door that led to their sitting room. A few quiet giggles trickled into the hallway.

He finally smiled a bit; even after a day like this, those sounds never failed to brighten his spirits.

Pushing the door open slowly, he peaked inside. The boys were playing happily on the floor while Suki sat with a sleeping Izumi in her lap by the fire. Stepping carefully through the minefield of wooden blocks, he leaned over the back of the couch and kissed his wife's temple.

"You're home," Suki breathed sweetly, reaching up to touch his hand. "Must have had a full agenda at council meeting today."

"You know we don't get half as much done without you," he grinned, walking around to sit beside them.

She smiled tiredly. "Sorry I missed it today. I just...couldn't leave Mimi," she said, looking back down at their daughter. She looked a little paler than normal, little beads of sweat dotting her forehead.

Zuko frowned. "I hate seeing her sick," he said anxiously. "…When will she get better?"

Suki nearly laughed. "It's barely been a day, Zuko. I bet she'll be back to herself in another day or two."

Zuko nodded, still pouting as Izumi opened her eyes. She looked at him absently for a long moment before reaching up to be held.

He took her quickly and pulled her against his shoulder. "No more feeling sick, okay kiddo?" he told her.

"Okay…Daddy," she breathed, head nodding against his shoulder as she fell back asleep.

Suki nestled against his opposite side as they stared into the dying fire. Zuko sent a fresh blast of flames into the pit, filling the room with a warm glow before lacing his fingers with hers. Instead of draining his energy as it had seemed to do all day, the gentle patter of rain on the roof was suddenly comforting.

"This is nice," he whispered. "It's so calm…and quiet."

Suddenly, the two of them looked at each other, wide-eyed. _"Too_ quiet," they said in unison. Peaking over the back of the couch, they stared into an empty room.

Zuko cursed quietly. Though the boys were only crawling, the Fire Lord already knew that their silence meant one thing: they were getting into _something_ they weren't supposed to.

"Those little buggers," Zuko huffed, laying a sleeping Izumi down on the couch and following Suki as she swept the rooms in search for them. "Iroh! Lu Ten!" he whispered harshly, peeking beneath beds and behind doorways as Suki did the same.

After several minutes of searching, Zuko looked up to see her standing at the door to their room, shoulders shaking as she beckoned him over. Moving beside her, he looked inside.

Two little greenish gold-eyed babies sat on the floor beside his nightstand, the cabinet thrown open _(I locked that!_ Zuko thought indignantly) and a jar of fire gummies torn open between them. The candies scattered the floor, sticky red juice covering fingers and dripping down mouths and shirts as the boys took turns stuffing chubby fists inside the open jar. A moment later, Lu Ten looked over, eyes growing wide as he realized they'd been caught. Iroh followed suit, adults and children locked in a silent staring contest.

The boys reacted first, suddenly and simultaneously shoving as many of the remaining gummies in their mouths as possible while they still had the chance.

Zuko followed Suki as they rushed over and started digging candies from each baby's mouth. He could barely focus on what he was doing, however, seeing as he was roaring with laughter.

"Z-Zuko! We c-can't…laugh," Suki scolded him, even as she barely contained her own giggles.

"I'm…s-sorry," he said, biting his lip in an effort to stop. "You're—you're in big _…BIG_ trouble, buddy," he tried to say sternly, turning Iroh around to face him. The boy started licking his fingers, indifferent to the threat. Needless to say, they both lost it again.

It was several minutes later when they finally calmed down. "How did they even know it was in there?" Suki asked in amazement.

"How did they get in is the question—I _know_ I locked it," Zuko said, looking over at the open cupboard. He pouted a little, realizing they'd all but depleted his midnight stash.

"Well, I know one thing," Suki said, raising a brow as she looked at him. "They won't be needing dinner tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I nearly trashed this one but thought, eh, what the heck I'll post it! I've got several others I started so hopefully I can get them up here soon. Thanks for reading :)


	5. Bad Weather

_“ROOOOOAAAAR!”_

Suki paused outside the door, face contorting in a mix of amusement and confusion. _What in the world are they up to?_ she thought, palm gently pushing the door open a crack as she eavesdropped. 

“Faster!” Izumi shouted over the small giggles filling the room. “They’re getting _away!”_

The sound of tiny footsteps mingled with heavy thumping echoed from the room for several moments before a quick crackling sound filled the air. Suddenly, a wave of warmth and smoke slipped through the crack and over Suki’s fingers. Eyes growing wide in alarm, she pushed it open quickly and stepped inside.

From behind a small blast of fire dissolving high above their heads was Zuko on his hands and knees and Izumi sitting proudly atop his back. The boys, unaware of the interruption, continued toddling as fast as their short legs could carry them at the far side of the room, weaving between the furniture dotting the floor.

“Zuko, did you just breathe fire…in our _sitting room?”_ Suki asked in shock.

Zuko opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Izumi. “Mommy, this isn’t Daddy. It’s _Druk,”_ she said indignantly, gripping the back of his robes in one hand while the other adjusted the heavy Fire Lord cape around her neck. The shoulder guard was so large it nearly swallowed her entire form. “He’s a dragon, so he has to breathe fire,” she went on, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Ah, well, that does make sense,” Suki agreed, giving her husband a side-eye as she raised a brow. He looked a little sheepish as he shrugged his shoulders. “And why is Druk chasing my babies all over the sitting room, Fire Lord Mimi?” Suki continued in jest.

“They’re the bad guys!” she replied. “We gotta catch them and put them in jail.”

“Mmm, unless… _I eat them first!”_ Zuko grinned suddenly, reaching out to pull one of the boys against him as they tottered past. “Nom nom nom—” he growled playfully, planting a series of zerberts on Iroh’s tummy and sending him into a giggling hysteria. A moment later, Suki felt two little hands grab her arm, looking over to see Lu Ten staring at the scene in mild trepidation. She chuckled, pulling him into her lap to watch from a safe distance.

Everyone’s laughter, however, died down in an instant as a loud knock came at the door. Zuko’s wide smile quickly fell into a scowl. He carefully peeled the two children off of him and stood, stomping towards the door.

“What is it?” he barked irritably, pulling the door open quickly and looking down at one of his generals, a middle-aged man with hair swept back into a tight ponytail.

“My apologies, Fire Lord, but your vessel is nearly prepared for departure to Yu Dao—”

“Already? But we aren’t set to leave for another three days,” Zuko said, his irritation replaced by confusion.

“There are signs of a storm approaching from the north, my lord, and the captain feels it unsafe to risk travel by airship. Seeing as the sea cruisers are slower, we must depart as soon as possible in order to—”

“Make it in time. I know,” Zuko interrupted, sighing deeply. “…I know. All right, how long do I have?”

“About an hour, my lord.”

The Fire Lord nodded quietly, watching as the man offered a swift bow and left his presence. Zuko shut the door slowly, shoulders slumped as he remained with his back to his family. Frowning sadly, Suki motioned to Izumi, who skipped over.

“Mimi,” she whispered. “Why don’t you show the boys your favorite book for a minute.”

Izumi’s eye’s brightened as she nodded quickly, grabbing each boy’s hand in turn and leading them over to the bookshelf. Trying to swallow her own disappointment, Suki stood and moved across the room.

“I promised Izumi we’d go to the parade tomorrow,” Zuko said as she approached, still staring at his feet.

“…She’ll understand.”

He nodded, frowning deeply.

“I’m sorry,” Suki continued quietly, resting a hand on his arm.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Suki,” he replied, looking up at her. “I’m the one with the job that takes me away from you all the time.”

“It’s not so bad,” she assured him. “It can’t be more than a couple months out of the year, tops.”

He sighed roughly. “I know, but it’s not only that. I just—I can never come home and just _be_ with you all, without the possibility of something coming up.”

Suki bit her lip, heart sinking a little in her chest as she wrapped her arms around him. He slowly returned the embrace, and they held each other quietly for a long time.

The next hour passed far too quickly. “Come back soon, Daddy?” Izumi asked, hugging him tight around the neck as he said his goodbyes.

“As soon as I can, sweet girl,” he said, eyes closed as he kissed her temple. Handing her to her mother, he crouched down and pulled both boys against him for a long moment before standing again. Swallowing roughly, he gave Suki one more lingering kiss before slowly leaving the room.

“Mommy?” Izumi said after the door shut. “Is Daddy sad?”

Suki hugged her tight. “Yes. Daddy misses us when he leaves. Just like we miss him, right?”

She nodded, pouting. “Why does he have to go?”

“There’s a lot of people in the world Daddy needs to take care of. We…we can share him, right?” she asked, partially to herself.

“…Okay,” Izumi replied, laying her head against Suki’s shoulder.

The rest of the night went by slowly, Suki trying to focus on preparing to lead the council meeting in the morning instead of the sudden loneliness in her chest. Laying Izumi down in bed, she sat beside her and held her small hand as she fell asleep.

Lost in thought, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Gasping, Suki looked over and saw two golden eyes looking down at them in the dim room.

“Hey,” Zuko said warmly.

“Daddy!” Izumi cried from behind her, sleep forgotten as she sat up quickly. “That was so fast!”

He chuckled, letting her crawl into his lap as he sat beside them.

“Zuko...what are you doing here?” Suki asked in amazement, unable to hide her own smile.

“We received a messenger hawk a few miles out saying the conference was postponed,” he said happily. “Turns out that ocean storm was getting worse by the hour, and they didn’t want everyone traveling during it.”

“Daddy, can we go to the parade now?” Izumi asked excitedly.

“You bet, kiddo. First thing tomorrow,” he promised. “So the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner we can go, okay?”

She nodded eagerly, slipping back under the covers and squeezing her eyes shut. The two adults chuckled quietly, and Suki couldn’t stop smiling.

“I’ve never been so grateful for bad weather,” she whispered once Izumi’s breathing grew steady with sleep.

Zuko grinned, reaching for her hand. “Me neither.”

_[end]_


	6. Daddy Lee

**Daddy Lee**

Zuko stared at the parchment in his hands, the words growing fuzzy the longer he looked. _I think I've read this three times now,_ he realized, dropping it back on the stack in front of him and leaning back in his seat. He closed his eyes, resting his head against the chair and giving himself just one minute to relax before getting back to work.

Not ten seconds passed before he felt something tugging on his robes. Peaking an eye open, he looked down to see a little girl staring up at him.

"Are you sleeping, Daddy?" Izumi asked sweetly.

He grinned a little. "No, just resting. What're you doing here, buddy?" he asked, pulling her up and onto his knee.

"Mommy said I could come say hi before Nanny comes to play," she said, looking over at his desk and pouting. "Do you have lots of work to do?"

Zuko looked at the stack of documents on his desk, pursing his lips. He could finish that up later, right?

* * *

"Zuko, are you almost ready for the—"

Suki stopped, looking into an empty office and furrowing her brows. _Where is he?_ she thought, before noticing a note sitting in the center of the desk. Moving over, she picked it up and scanned it quickly.

_Suki,_

_You and Nanny just have the boys. We went to the festival._

_Be back for naptime._

_Love, Zuko & Mimi_

Suki facepalmed. _Zuko, we have the council meeting this morning!_ she thought in exasperation, looking back down at the note. Izumi's scribbles surrounded Zuko's penmanship, and she couldn't help but smile even as she tried to search for his meeting notes amid the chaos of the desk.

* * *

 _"Daddy, you look like a pirate!"_ Izumi had giggled as they snuck out of the palace together.

Zuko grimaced at the thought. _Anything but pirates,_ he thought with discomfort, though she was probably right. Considering his kids usually tugged any kind of hood off his head he tried to wear when they went incognito, he'd opted instead for wearing an eye patch and letting his hair down. It did a pretty decent job hiding the scar, and combined with some simple robes, no one took a second glance.

Though, Zuko realized, that might have been because he looked a lot more intimidating this way. The thought made him grin.

"Well, what do you want to do next?" he asked Izumi, shifting her into his other arm as they wove through the crowded street.

She furrowed her brows, remnants of ice cream in the corners of her mouth and probably somewhere on his tunic and the stuffed armadillo bear in her arms. Looking around, her eyes brightened as she pointed to one of the nearby booths. Zuko looked over—a large, shallow tank of water sat in the shade, several children gathered around and staring intently inside. Moving closer, he noticed they held bowls and little nets that they dipped in the pool. Suddenly, one of the children cried out in excitement, balancing something golden and floppy in his net before letting it fall into his bowl of water.

Izumi gasped beside him, gripping his collar tightly as she pointed down. "A _fish!_ L-look Daddy, a fish!"

"Well done, lad!" the boothkeeper said, taking the bowl and dumping its contents into a clear bag. He tied it up quickly and handed it back to the boy, who was bouncing excitedly on his toes. He gave a quick bow to the older man and ran off shouting to some friends across the street.

"Can I get one too?" Izumi went on, mouth forming a little "o" as she watched the remaining fish in the tank with curiosity.

Zuko chuckled. "Sure," he said, paying the man for a net and bowl before pulling up a stool beside the large tank. The net was strange—a thin, flat fabric stretched across the circular opening, and a short, wooden handle stuck out the side. Setting Izumi in his knee, he watched casually as she made as valiant an effort as a four year-old could to catch one of the small gold koi.

"Daddy, help," she pouted after a few minutes with no luck. Smiling, Zuko took the net and went after the first swimmer in sight.

He quickly realized this was a lot more difficult than it seemed.

"Come _on,_ " he grumbled impatiently, watching as dozens of fish slipped past. "Get on here, you stupid little—"

"Daddy!" Izumi cried in shock. "Stupid is a bad word."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Looking back at his task, he realized why it wasn't working. "Hey, I think ours broke," he called out to the boothkeeper, holding up the net with a large tear in the center.

The man only chuckled. "'Course it did. That's the game, young man. Did you never play as a boy?"

"Mmm," Zuko hummed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "My father didn't really, uh, let me go out much." The truth was, he'd often listened to the city festivals from his window, wondering what they were like. He was determined that his own kids wouldn't have to wonder.

"Ah, well, not to worry! I'll explain," the man went on, holding out a fresh net. "This here's a _poi,_ a special contraption for the fishing game. The longer it stays wet, the faster it breaks. ***** It's best to skim it along the surface, like this," he said, giving a quick demonstration. In seconds, he'd scooped up one of the shiny fish. Izumi's eyes grew bright as she bit her lip excitedly.

"Huh. I couldn't just, _buy_ a fish from you, could I?" Zuko asked quietly.

The man laughed. "Where's the fun in that? But it's only ten more copper pieces for another go," he said, grinning as he held out a new poi.

About fifty coins later, Izumi squealed in delight as her father managed to scoop one of the little buggers into their bowl. Zuko sighed in relief.

"Where do you get all the fish?" he asked as the shopkeeper tied up their catch.

"Oh, well, I come from a small fishing village in the eastern islands," the man explained.

"Jang Hui? That's a good distance from here," Zuko replied, before realizing his slip. It was unlikely a commoner would have known the Fire Nation's geography so well.

"That's the one!" the man replied, oblivious that anything was amiss. "The place is stock full 'o little gold koi these days. Wasn't always that way—but now that the factory's been gone several years they've started comin' back."

Zuko furrowed his brows. Something about this seemed familiar. Katara had been pretty adamant about relocating some of the Fire Nation factories back when he'd first started ruling. Did it have something to do with that?

"The name's Dock," the man continued, his grin revealing several missing teeth as he held out a hand.

"Lee," Zuko replied, trying to ignore Dock's long, unkempt fingernails as he accepted the handshake. Pulling back, the man finished tying up the bag before handing it down to Izumi with a crooked smile.

Izumi stared at her new little friend for a long moment. Suddenly her face fell as she glanced sadly between the fish in her arms and the others still in the tank.

"Mimi, what's wrong? Don't you like it?" Zuko asked anxiously, crouching down beside her.

She nodded, even as her lip puckered out. "But Daddy…won't he get lonely without his friends?"

"…Oh," Zuko said, part of him melting at how cute she was and the other freezing in terror that he might have to try to catch _another_ one of those cursed creatures. Before he could respond, however, someone was tugging on his sleeve.

"Hey mister," a boy said, the same one they'd seen earlier. "Gimme ten coins and I'll catch you _and_ me a fish," he grinned.

Zuko paused only a moment before plopping some money in the kid's outstretched hand. "Deal."

* * *

"Yes, well, let's start right away with the first agenda item," Suki directed, sitting at the head of the long council room table as the remaining attendees took their own seats. She was met with a few strange looks. "The Fire Lord has had some…unexpected business come up," she fibbed, clearing her throat. "So I'm afraid it's only me this week."

She got a few indifferent nods in response, though the sly smile on General Mak's face made her wonder if he knew exactly where Zuko was. If he'd set some guards out to follow them then, well, at least he was doing his job right.

"No need to apologize, my lady," a woman several seats down replied after a moment. "In fact, I quite admire how quickly we move through things with you in charge."

A few harmless chuckles rang out from the table. It was no secret that Zuko could be a little long-winded at times, especially if there was an issue he felt passionate about. Suki, of course, thought it was endearing, though it did tend to push the meetings well into the lunch hour.

Grinning, she pulled out her notes. "Well, then let's see if we can't break the record this week."

* * *

"Can they live in the pond, Daddy?" Izumi asked a few minutes later, smiling happily as she now held a bag with two swimming fish in her arms.

"Sure. That sounds like a good idea."

"A pond!" Dock cried as they started to leave. "What a lucky girl."

She turned back and nodded excitedly. "Uh-huh. It's where all the turtle ducks live back home at the pal—"

Zuko covered her mouth, laughing nervously. "D-Don't tell strangers where you live, remember kiddo?"

Dock only chuckled. "Turtle ducks, eh? Better keep your new friends outta sight, those birds'll gobble 'em right up!"

Izumi's eyes grew wide in horror, clutching the bag closer to her chest.

"Not to worry, we've got just what you need to give those two a new home. Just give me a moment—I'll go get my brother, Xu. He's in charge of the shop," he said eagerly, before dashing behind the canvas backdrop. Not a moment later, he returned, his wide-brimmed straw hat suddenly replaced by a tall silk one.

"How can I help you?" Dock asked happily.

Zuko blinked. "Um…Dock? Weren't you looking for Xu?"

"I am Xu!" Dock said earnestly. "Dock's my brother." He suddenly stopped, holding a hand up to his mouth as his eyes darted side to side. "He's _crazy,"_ he whispered.

Zuko's mouth fell open in disbelief as Izumi giggled. Turning around happily, Dock pulled back a long curtain to reveal a dozen fish tanks and other paraphernalia. "All right, let's get this new fish owner all geared-up to go!"

* * *

Suki munched on a rice roll in Zuko's office, forging his name on a few documents she knew he'd never get through when she heard scuffling on the roof. The curtains parted a few moments later, and her husband crawled through, clad in street clothes and trying to balance their daughter and several bags of goodies in both arms.

"Hello, Lee," she teased, watching as he dumped the bags on the floor as quietly as possible and laid a sleeping Izumi and a clear bag with two small gold koi on the couch.

"My lady," he grinned playfully, moving over and gathering her in his arms for a long, passionate kiss.

"It's a good thing the Fire Lord isn't here," she whispered when they broke apart.

"Mmhmm," he mumbled hotly, playing along as his lips trailed along her jaw.

"Will you believe he left me all alone to run the council meeting this morning?"

Zuko froze in place, inhaling sharply. "Spirits, I completely forgot!" he cried. Izumi murmured something in her sleep, and he swallowed roughly before continuing in a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

She only smiled. "It's okay. It looks like you two had a fun time," she said, looking over the assortment of items he'd brought home with them. "But...is that fish food?" she asked, pointing to an enormous bag of little yellow flakes on the ground.

He shrugged, tugging the eye patch off and dropping it on the desk. "Yeah."

"All that…for those two little fish?" Suki said, biting her lip as she started to grin.

"Spirits," Zuko cursed, looking embarrassed. "I _thought_ he was selling me a lot."

"He must have pegged you a mile off," Suki laughed quietly, unable to hold back her amusement any longer. "How much did you spend?"

Zuko pouted, looking back at the assortment of fish-related items he'd purchased and digging his hand into an empty pocket. "I…don't know," he admitted, watching as Suki picked up their daughter to bring her to bed. He grabbed the little armadillo bear and followed, tucking it in beside her.

They stood beside the bed for a long moment, the afternoon sun creeping in through the curtains and warming the room.

"I'm glad you went," Suki said quietly. "This kind of thing will matter more to her in the long run."

"Yeah," he admitted, smiling a bit. "Though…I should probably use my calendar in the future."

_[end]_

 

_***** Wikipedia "goldfish scooping" for a visual – it's a real festival game in Japan._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed it, Dock/Xu was a character from Book 3 – The Painted Lady. Now Zuko's had the luck (or perhaps misfortune) of meeting him, lol.


	7. Bad Word

**Bad Word**

"My lady, thank you for coming," the headmaster said calmly, standing and bowing deeply before motioning to the unfilled chair across from him. In the other sat an irritated-looking Sifu, and on a small couch along the wall sat six year-old Lu Ten, hands buried in his lap, eyes glued to the floor.

Suki frowned—she'd been expecting yet another instance of Iroh being sent to the office. For Lu Ten to be in trouble was nearly unheard of. Ignoring the headmaster, Suki went and sat beside her son, noticing the dampness in his cheeks, the quaking in his arms as he sniffled.

"Lu Ten, what's wrong?" she asked quietly, wrapping an arm around him.

He only pursed his lips, shaking his head. He continued to tremble, clearly fighting back tears as he pushed his fisted hands further between his legs.

Suki's frown deepened as she looked up at the adults. "Can you please explain to me what's going on?"

"My apologies, Fire Lady," the headmaster began, "but your son is here because he said something inappropriate—"

"Inappropriate?" the teacher scoffed, turning around in her seat and scowling at the boy. "More like _vile._ We do not tolerate such language at this esteemed academy, _especially_ from a prince of the Fire Nation."

Suki furrowed her brows. Lu Ten, of all children, certainly didn't know any terms that could deserve such ridicule. _Perhaps he heard it from his classmates, and didn't know what it meant?_ she wondered. "Well, what did he say?" she asked plainly.

The woman's mouth fell open, looking affronted. "I cannot repeat it," she said, nose in the air as she turned away.

"Well…can you think of any _synonyms?"_ Suki asked irritably.

The teacher huffed, pursing her lips before going on. "It's…a _man part,"_ she whispered almost inaudibly.

Suki raised a brow. "Penis?" she asked in disbelief.

The woman gasped, unable to respond in her horror. The headmaster was staring pointedly in his lap, cheeks bright red.

Ignoring them, Suki looked back down at her son. Hands pushed into his lap, eyes filling with fresh tears, she finally made the connection. "Sweetheart…does it hurt?" she asked anxiously.

He glanced up at the teacher nervously before his eyes slid back to his lap. He nodded quietly.

Fury burning in her chest, Suki looked back sharply at the others. "Sifu Masa, did my son tell you he was in pain, and you did nothing but _punish_ him for it?"

The woman's eyes grew wide. "My—my lady, we simply c-cannot tolerate language such as—"

"What else do you want him to call it?!" Suki snapped. "If I'm not mistaken, that is its _anatomical name._ And I can certainly think of several cruder terms which he might have selected to use in its place."

Sifu Masa's eye was now twitching, looking extremely uncomfortable as Suki picked up Lu Ten and moved towards the door.

"I'm taking my son to a healer. He'll be missing school for the rest of the week," Suki said firmly, not bothering for their response as she swept out the door in righteous anger.

* * *

"Zuko, please stop laughing. The poor kid has a UTI*, after all."

For the umpteenth time that evening, Zuko made a half-hearted effort to quell his chuckling, though the amusement in his eyes never faded. "I'm sorry—I do feel bad for the little guy. But I just—I just _can't_ stop imagining Sifu Masa's face when you said—" He couldn't finish as he burst out laughing again, propping himself against the tall bedframe.

"Penis?"

Zuko nearly snorted. "You're probably the first Fire Lady in _history_ to say that out loud," he said, eyes now wet with amusement as he slipped under the covers.

"That's what it's _called!"_ she cried, falling irritably onto the mattress. "A child should have every right to use correct anatomical language to describe their symptoms. I don't care what's 'acceptable'—my children are going to have a proper health education whether Sifu Masa likes it or not!"

He rolled over, laughs quieting down as he grinned at her. "I love when you get like this. You're usually so easy-going about things—it's kind of fun to see you angry at someone." He stopped, eyes brightening. "Like a mama armadillo bear in action."

Suki couldn't stop the corner of her mouth from twitching up at that. "Well…maybe I am."

_[end]_

_***** UTI = urinary tract infection. Not uncommon in kids, but sure not fun. Poor Lu Ten._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've updated my profile with my current projects if you're interested!


	8. Four-Eyes

"Pretty neat, huh?" Zuko grinned, resting a hand on Izumi's shoulder as they looked out over the ragged valley below, several volcanoes steaming in the distance as the midday sun poured down over them. "Your mom and I used to hike out here when we were dating," he went on, mind suddenly swept back to over a decade earlier. His chest swelled with warmth, smiling at the memories.

"Yeah, it's nice," the eight year-old said absently, sitting down and digging her pinky in the rough dirt along the trail.

Zuko frowned, sitting beside her. "Come on, you have to admit it's a great view," he prodded, pointing out to the skyline. "I mean, you can see Mount Shiomi from here."

Izumi looked up, staring blankly at the landscape. "Mmm, yeah Dad. That's cool."

Zuko frowned, a little disappointed in her lack of enthusiasm. He gazed back out over the valley, eyes picking out the villages spotting the land around the Caldera, acres of farmland sweeping up against the edges of the mountains. "Hey, I think I see your school from here. Look, just south of the watchtower."

Izumi looked up again, seeming more interested than before. "…What watchtower?" she asked, the brightness in her eyes fading quickly.

Zuko furrowed his brows—the watchtower stuck out like a sore thumb in the valley below, in stark contrast to the surrounding greenery. "Right there. It's not too far from us—near the Caldera. Your school's that red-roofed building just past the road behind it."

Izumi followed his hand, squinting her eyes for several long moments before slouching and looking away. "Huh," was all she offered, staring back down at her fingers as they made circular patterns in the dust.

Zuko's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He looked back over the valley, spotting a wide stretch of empty fields, green grass shimmering against the landscape. "Those are some pretty nice houses down there," he fibbed, pointing to the empty field just below them.

She glanced down over the cliff side, squinting again before looking into her lap. "Um, yeah. Pretty nice."

_Agni,_ Zuko thought in shock, heart dropping into his stomach as his suspicions were confirmed. _She can't see any of it._

* * *

"All right, Princess Izumi, if I could have you look this way," the older healer said gently, moving back towards a large chart across the room and holding out a long pointer. "Just read the character as I point to it. Sound easy enough?"

Izumi nodded, looking at the letter on the top line. _Ho,_ she realized with confidence. Then there was _Ko,_ then—she squeezed her eyes— _Yo,_ then—

"Here's the first one, my dear," Master Osamu said, pointing several lines below the top. Izumi's throat grew dry, squinting her eyes as she let her gaze fall into the fuzzy region where the pointer rested.

"U-um, _Tsu_?" she guessed. "N-no, I mean… _Shi._ Then… _Mu_ …or maybe _Ma_ …" She trailed off, feeling her brow start to sweat.

"Mmm, how about here," the man went on gently, lifting the pointer up a few lines.

" _So...Chi,_ no, _Nu…"_

Osamu moved up again before she could finish, pointing to the two letters beneath the large _Ho_ at the top. She felt the beginnings of tears in her eyes as she read out the letters. " _K-Ko_ …and _Yo_ ," she whispered, biting her trembling lip.

She felt hand on her arm. "Sweetie, it's all right," her mother said. "This isn't a test—Master Osamu just needs to know what you can see so he can help you, okay?"

"That's right," the man said, placing the pointer to the side. "And you did wonderfully."

Izumi shook her head. "No I didn't. I can barely read any of it," she said anxiously, squeezing her hands together in her lap.

"That's not your fault," her mother went on, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. "We'll figure this out together, okay?"

The child nodded quietly. "Okay."

* * *

"I just…I can't _believe_ I didn't realize this sooner," Zuko said in distress, running a nervous hand through his hair as he paced back and forth in the small healing office. "I mean, we knew she'd been struggling in school, but I never imagined it was just because she couldn't _read the board."_ He sat suddenly, letting his face fall into his hands. "Agni, I'm the worst parent ever," he muttered through his fingers.

"My lord, this is not your fault," Master Osamu said calmly.

Zuko sighed, before looking up. "I _knew_ that girl was bright. I mean, she's always inside reading—" He stopped, bringing a hand to his temple. "Spirits, the way she'd hold her nose so close to the pages—it was so obvious!" he cried, standing and pacing the room again. "And of course she's always been reluctant to play outside—I would be too if I couldn't see a ball coming at my face!"

"Lord Zuko, you are not the first parent not to notice. Many individuals go their entire lives without realizing they are visually impaired," Osamu explained. "Frankly, I believe the schools should be screening for it, but most of my colleagues feel it a waste of resources."

"Waste of—you know what, I'm making that a law in our next council meeting," the Fire Lord grumbled, falling into one of the metal chairs. "Though a lot of good that'll do Izumi now."

"There's no harm done, Lord Zuko. Any longer and it might have been, but right now she's young enough that she should still be able to have normal vision if fitted with spectacles."

Zuko frowned. "She's not going to like that," he said, looking out the window for a long moment before turning back to the old physician. "What about a waterbending healer? Wouldn't that fix it?"

Osamu shook his head. "There's nothing to heal—in fact, her eyes are perfectly healthy. It's the shape that's off. Those far-sighted like Princess Izumi simply have more ovular-shaped eyes, which causes the light refracted through the cornea to converge at the wrong—"

Zuko held up a hand. "I never did do well in physics, Osamu. But I believe you."

The old healer smiled. "Well, I'd suggest you take her to Ba Sing Se. This is still a young field of medicine, but I've heard of an excellent healer who lives in the upper ring—shapes the lenses herself with earthbending."

Zuko smiled. "Well, my Uncle will certainly be happy for the visit."

* * *

Izumi gripped her school bag tightly, chewing her lip in excitement as she watched the other girls running in groups of twos and threes through the front gate of the Royal Fire Academy. She reached up, readjusting her glasses as she took in the once-familiar place with new eyes.

"You're going to do great this year," her mother spoke, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

Izumi nodded, a little embarrassed at the show of affection in front of all her peers but not quite willing to push her mother away. "I'll try."

The school was bustling with excitement at the start of the fall term, and Izumi went mostly unnoticed as she moved into her new classroom. She set her bag neatly next to her desk, pulling herself up into the seat and folding her hands in front of her as she waited for her classmates to fill in the remaining seats.

"Girls! Girls please, it's time to take roll," a tall woman said sternly, tapping her pointer against the desk to get their attention. "I am Sifu Mitsuyo, and will be your morning instructor this term." She turned around, writing out the characters of her name in neat penmanship on the board—characters that Izumi could read with ease. She inhaled quietly, chest filling with a quiet warmth.

Several names into the roll, she heard her own.

"Princess Izumi?" Sifu Mitsuyo asked.

"Here," she said softly, raising a hand as two dozen faces turned to look at her. Curiosity turned to wrinkled noses and hidden smirks as a few of them began to whisper.

_"I didn't even recognize her with those things."_

_"She looks like an old woman!"_

_"Too bad. She was so pretty before…"_

Izumi gripped her hands tightly in her lap, biting down hard as the teacher rebuked them for their chatter and continued with the roll. Once her classmates had turned away, Izumi slowly reached up to her face. The pretty art along the walls, the red leaves on the trees outside the window, Sifu Mitsuyo's writing on the chalkboard—it all disappeared as she carefully slid the frames off her nose and into her lap. Reaching inside her desk, Izumi tucked the spectacles as far back as they would go before pulling her shaking hands back together.

She kept her head ducked until the last drop of moisture dried from her cheeks.

* * *

"Hey Mimi, how was school?"

Izumi paused outside her father's office, not turning back to look at him.

"Oh, sorry, _Princess Izumi,"_ Zuko teased, staring to push himself up from the desk covered in official parchments.

"It was fine," she called back to him, heading further into the hall before he could take one step away from his chair.

Zuko frowned, sitting back down slowly as her footsteps faded away. He looked back at the charter he'd been working on, brows furrowed as he attempted to finish it.

A minute later, he was striding down the halls, peaking into all of Izumi's normal spots in search for her. His frown grew deeper as he checked her room, the library, the turtle duck pond—all empty. It wasn't until he asked one of the servants who directed him towards the stables that he found her, tucked against Druk's side as the dragon let her run small fingers through the yellow fur behind his horns.

"Hey, buddy."

She glanced over his direction, not meeting his eyes. "Hey, Dad."

Zuko noticed immediately—the spectacles were gone. "Where are you glasses?" he asked anxiously, nervous they'd been broken or lost. It certainly hadn't been convenient _or_ cheap getting her fitted for them in Ba Sing Se.

"I don't need them anymore," she muttered, looking away.

Zuko raised his good brow. "Mimi…I don't have to be Auntie Toph to know you're lying."

Suddenly, it was like the floodgates opened, Zuko immediately regretting his words as giant tears poured from Izumi's eyes.

"Spirits," he gasped, crouching down next to her. "Mimi…w-what happened?"

Izumi only shook her head, burying her face in her hands as her father wrapped an anxious arm around her. At the sound of her crying, one of the stable hands peeked a head around to see what was wrong, but the Fire Lord only waved him off as he pulled his daughter closer.

A couple minutes passed before the princess managed to choke out an explanation. "I—I couldn't make friends before, b-because I was dumb. A-and now…" She sucked in a shaking breath. "Now I can't b-because I'm _ugly!"_

_"What?"_ Zuko cried. "No you're not!"

"E-everyone at school thinks so," Izumi said quietly. "Th-they said I looked like an old lady when I wore my glasses."

Zuko growled. "They're just jealous because you're ten times prettier than the lot of them," he huffed.

Izumi brushed away a few tears against her sleeve as she looked up at him. _"Dad,"_ she sighed, a tiny smile creeping over her lips.

"And more important than that, you're ten times _smarter_ than them." Zuko stopped, grinning. "And your dad's way cooler than theirs."

"D-Dad!" she repeated, laughing as he helped her to her feet.

"Come on…you want to go on a ride?" he asked, an idea forming in his mind.

"Mmhmm," she agreed as Druk nudged her hand in search of more pets.

"It'll be better if you can see, though," he teased lightly. Izumi nodded, chewing the corner of her lip as she pulled the spectacles from the pocket of her vest. "Can we sacrifice the pigtails?" he prodded, and she nodded again before tugging the little ribbons from her hair and handing them over. After a few minutes of knot-tying, the glasses were secured to her head and they were taking off into the sky.

"I look even sillier now than before," she muttered, though the sadness in her voice from earlier had been replaced by warmth.

"It'll be worth it," he told her, Druk's wing's pounding at their sides. The city came into view as they crested the palace walls, and Zuko heard his daughter gasp in front of him.

"I—I can see everything!" she cried. "There's—there's the temple! A-and look at all the houses—and the people! I can see them walking around, from way up here!"

"Just wait," her father said, nudging Druk towards the edge of the Caldera's tall cliff side and into the sunlight the spilled over the valley. Izumi grew quiet as they did, breath catching in the cool breeze. The golden fields below seemed to shine against the low autumn sun, western mountains purple along the horizon.

"I…I can see my school," she breathed at last, staring wide-eyed at the red-bricked roof far below.

Zuko felt his heart swell in his chest as he watched her. "So," he started. "…Worth it?"

She reached up and touched the lenses with care. "Yeah," she smiled. "Worth it."

**[end]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, for the eye chart description I used Japanese Katakana characters. My awesome sister helped me pick out a few that look alike (thanks buddy!). My hubby, an aspiring optometrist, also helped with some of the eyesight explanation stuff (thanks babe!). And personal experience of getting glasses in 3rd grade helped with the rest, lol.


	9. Zutara 2.0

"Uncle Zuko?"

The Fire Lord looked up, noticing two little blue eyes staring at him from across his desk. "Oh, hey Kya. You looking for your Daddy? I think he's still in a meeting with—"

"No, not him, Uncle Zuko. _You,_ " she said fiercely. "You have to come, hurry!"

"Why? What's the matter?" he asked as the child dragged him to his feet and across his office towards the door.

"Iroh and Lu Ten are _fighting,"_ she seriously.

"Oh," Zuko sighed. That wasn't really surprising news. "Well, where are they?"

"The turtle duck pond." She stopped in her tracks, looking in confusion down each end of the long corridor. "But I forgot the way."

"That's all right," he said, offering a hand. "We'll go together." Kya grabbed his fingers, letting him lead her down the hall. Zuko smiled, thinking what he would have thought as a stubborn fifteen year-old bent on capturing the Avatar knowing the airbender's daughter would someday call him Uncle.

By the time they reached the courtyard, the two Fire Nation princes were wrestling along the bank, each coated in mud head to toe, a crowd of turtle ducks quacking in irritation from the opposite side of the pond. Lu Ten's ponytail hung limp at his neck, while Iroh's had completely come loose of its bindings.

"Woah, knock it off!" Zuko cried, jogging over and pulling the two boys out of the mud by their collars. Even suspended midair, Iroh gave a violent kick towards Lu Ten, who punched at the air as they continued to yell at each other.

"Oi!" Zuko shouted over them, pulling them further apart and giving them both a quick shake to get their attention. "Spirits, what's wrong with you two?"

"Lu Ten wouldn't let me play with Kya!" Iroh cried.

"I was playing with her first!" his brother said adamantly.

"But she wanted to play with _me_ more!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah- _huh!_ You're too boring to play with!"

"Am _not!"_

"Great Agni!" Zuko huffed. "Why couldn't you all just play together?"

The boys grew suddenly quiet, both looking away in unison. Iroh blew the loose hair from his eyes, crossing his arms in defiance. Meanwhile, a tinge of pink colored Lu Ten's cheeks from beneath the mud. "I—I wanted to be with Kya alone," he muttered.

 _…Oh,_ Zuko realized in amusement, fighting back the urge to laugh. "You too?" he smirked, looking over at Iroh. The boy only shrugged, not looking his father in the eyes.

"Well, with the way you're acting, I doubt she wants to be around _either_ of you," Zuko managed with some sternness, even as a grin escaped him. He cleared his throat, letting them both down to their feet. "Now, go clean up and take a breather in your room until I can come talk to you."

The two obeyed, though Iroh grumbled something under his breath as he stormed off past his brother. Zuko sighed, looking back down at Kya who now stood at his side. "Sorry, kiddo. You okay?"

"Uh-huh," she said, unfazed as she looked up at him. "Uncle Zuko?"

"Mmm?"

She looked back where the boys had walked off. "You should tell them not to fight. I think they're _both_ cute," she grinned, before running off herself.

Zuko's mouth fell open. "…Oh boy."

* * *

"Hi, Daddy! How was your meeting?"

Aang grinned widely, picking Kya up and giving her a squeeze. "Boring!" he said cheerfully, making his daughter giggle. He looked around the empty courtyard where he'd found her practicing her bending in one of the ponds. He raised a brow. "Why are you alone? I thought you and the boys were going to play today." She hadn't stopped talking about them for weeks leading up to the trip—Aang had figured she wouldn't let them out of her sight once they got there.

"We _were_ playing, but they got in trouble," Kya said matter-of-factly.

"In trouble?" Aang asked curiously.

"Uh-huh. They were fighting over me," she shrugged, as if it weren't unexpected.

"They were— _what?"_

Aang found himself sweeping through the Fire Lord's palace, footfalls much heavier than normal. He was usually a gentle, light-hearted man, but having a little girl had ignited a new, fierce sense of protectiveness that had just been pricked. Toph probably wouldn't even recognize him with the way he was pounding down the hall.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, Twinkle Toes?"

Aang stopped, cringing. _Or maybe she would,_ he realized sheepishly, looking back to see his brother-in-law with several heavy packs over his shoulders, and a very pregnant earthbender at his side.

"Hey guys," Aang smiled, giving Toph a hug and letting Sokka slap him on the back. "How was your trip over?"

"Terrible," Toph huffed, bending a recliner straight from the marble floors and attempting to sit on it. "I'm gonna _pummel_ Sokka into the ground for doing this to me," she grunted, jabbing a thumb towards her belly.

Sokka only smirked as he helped her down. _"She says that every day,"_ he mouthed up to Aang. "Sorry, baby," he went on to Toph, holding her hand while digging through one of his packs. "Want some more seal jerky?"

"No," she huffed.

"How about…chicken pork dumplings?"

Toph seemed to consider that one for a moment, rubbing her bulging stomach absently. "Mmm, I don't know," she muttered, her irritation dissolving into indecision.

"Maybe a foot rub?"

To Aang's shock—and frankly, horror—tears suddenly started streaming from Toph's face as she nodded. As a father of two and a third on the way, he wasn't a stranger to the effects of pregnancy on a woman's emotions, but for some reason he'd never expected them to apply to Toph.

"Ah, baby don't cry," Sokka said gently. "It's okay."

"I'm not crying!" Toph sobbed.

"Of course not, of course not. Hey, tell you what—let's go find Suki and see if she can't point us towards the royal spa. Gotta take advantage of the perks while we're here," he grinned.

Toph sniffled. "…'Kay," she agreed, letting him tug her to her feet.

Aang, now forgotten, watched in utter bewilderment as they moved down the hall. He'd thought Sifu Toph was as bad as things got—but he was starting to wonder if Pregnant Toph wasn't actually more terrifying.

Bending Toph's chair back into the floor as best he could, Aang moved with a bit less drive towards his original target. Within a few minutes he stood outside Zuko's office, pausing as he heard voices drifting through the door.

"All right, boys. Do you know what you did wrong?" the Fire Lord spoke calmly.

"Fought."

"Got muddy."

"Well, that's true," Zuko went on. "But that's not what I'm most upset about."

The boys remained quiet. Aang, curious, pulled the door open silently and slipped inside to watch from the narrow entryway to the room. Zuko sat at his desk while his sons sat across from him, hands folded in their laps.

"Who do _you_ think decides who Kya gets to play with?" Zuko prodded, acknowledging Aang's presence as he waved him silently into the room.

"Um, you, Dad?" one of them asked.

"No, not me."

"Aunt Katara?" Lu Ten tried.

"Uncle Aang?" Iroh added.

"Well, maybe, but someone else too."

The boys pursed their lips in unison, staring into their laps as they thought. "She does," Lu Ten said quietly, looking up. "Kya does."

Iroh's mouth formed a little 'o' before he nodded in agreement.

"That's right," Zuko said, satisfied. "All right, give me a hug, you little buggers—then go find Kya and apologize, okay?"

"Okay, Dad!" they said at once, jumping out of their seats and running around each side of the desk for a quick hug before dashing towards the door. Spotting the Avatar, Lu Ten stopped in his tracks. Iroh ran into him, nearly knocking the two of them to the floor.

"H-hi, Uncle Aang," Lu Ten said, giving a little Fire Nation bow.

Iroh followed suit, before grinning up at him eagerly. "Can you show us that ball trick again, Uncle Aang?"

Aang sighed. _I was supposed to be upset with them,_ he thought absently, giving in and grinning a bit as he crouched down and tucked his hands in his robes. Producing a fistful of little silver balls, he bent them quick as lightning between his palms, to the boys' utter delight.

A minute later, they ran off laughing. "Looks like you've got the _Dad Lecture_ down," Aang chuckled, turning back to his friend.

Zuko snorted. "Yeah, well, I've lost count of how many times I've had to do that. For some reason, my uncle finds it highly amusing. Something about…karma." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyway, sorry about, um…that. They've been getting really competitive lately. It's probably worse because they're twins," he sighed.

"Mmm, yeah, that makes sense," Aang agreed.

"But they care a lot about your kids. Izumi too. They haven't stop talking about you guys coming for the past month," Zuko admitted.

"Yeah, neither have Bumi and Kya. I'm glad they're all friends," Aang smiled, a memory suddenly bubbling in his mind.

_Aang opened his eyes as the footsteps approached. Zuko stood a few paces away, dressed in formal robes with only the Fire Lord's royal headpiece missing._

_"I can't believe a year ago my purpose in life was hunting you down," Zuko said seriously. "And now…"_

_"And now we're friends," Aang said firmly._

_"Yeah. We are friends."_

Aang looked up. From the look on Zuko's face, he seemed to be thinking the same thing. "It's funny how things work out, huh?" he grinned.

Zuko smiled a bit. "Yeah. It is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, things got deeper than I meant for them to. Oops. And about the title…well, considering Kya is basically a mini-Katara and the twins mini-Zukos, I couldn't resist.
> 
> Also, given this is all my own AU built on the back of my Masks series, yes Toph and Sokka are married and Lin and Suyin will both be theirs. Cause I'm the all-powerful author and do what I want, haha! (Guess that kinda ruins the Linzin ship though…no kissing cousins please.)
> 
> Last thing – I've been focusing most of my writing time on a new Beauty and the Beast fic and would love if you would give it a look (titled Mirrors on my profile). More updates will come to Fatherlord Zuko as well – maybe a part 2 of this reunion with some Izumi x Bumi cuteness next time?


End file.
